Lok Sabha polls 2014: Badals eye gemstones for luck

BATHINDA: A pair of expensive gemstones has found its way to the fingers of Badal family members ahead of the April 30 polls here. At their campaigns, Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Badal has been sporting a grey opal on his index finger and his wife, Akali Dal's Bathinda candidate, Harsimrat Kaur, prefers a Rs 5-lakh green emerald.

Family sources say Badal junior's good-luck ring comes for Rs 3 lakh. In her affidavits, Harsimrat recently showed her jewellery collection worth Rs 5.4 crore while Sukhbir disclosed Rs 7.25 lakh worth jewellery. Jalandhar astrologer Maneshwar says opal gemstones are worn to strengthen companionship between friends or business partners or even a married couple.

"Queen Victoria used to wear one. This brings harmony between friends of opposite sex in a profession and a married couple at home," he says. He also explained the significance of the stones' colour. "A green stone protects people from black magic while a grey one boosts prospects in profession and affability among people," he says. Harsimrat is facing her husband's cousin Manpreet Badal in Bathinda.